The Best Cities for Transit

Redfin's most recent ranking of public transit access features some serious moves, both up and down the list.

1 minute read

February 23, 2018, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Seattle Electric Bus

SounderBruce / Flickr

A post by Jon Whitely announces the release of the 2018 Transit Score Rankings, produced by Redfin. The top of the list probably won't surprise anyone: 1) New York, 2) San Francisco, and 3) Boston. The Transit Score system rates location based on convenience to public transit. The three cities at the top of the list all score above 70.

Below 70, and below third place on the list is where this list gets really interesting. Coming in at number 4 is Washington, D.C., in the same position as the previous list but with the biggest drop of any city on the list. The drop was precipitous enough to inspire local news coverage by Jeff Clabaugh, who noticed the area's 2.2 point drop as a result of "reduced service by Metrobus and Metrorail."

On the other end of the spectrum, Seattle and Honolulu were the fastest climbers. Seattle moved up to 7th place, with a score of 59.6 percent that is up 2.6 points since 2016 after several years of strong investment in its public transit systems. "Honolulu gained 1.6 points of Transit Score since 2016 and entered the top 10 list for the first time, replacing Miami," according to Whitely.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018 in Redfin

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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